Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken
by EvilQueen2015
Summary: "I hope you don't mind," he said as he slowly moved his fingers on my calf. "I took the liberty to undress you." "I gave myself…" my voice faded when his hand moved to my thigh and my throat tightened. I closed my eyes, inhaled deeply and tried again. "I gave myself in Henry's place." TRIGGER WARNINGS INSIDE!
1. Chapter 1

_**I'm slowly going to move all of my fics to this account from my other account. That said, this is a fic that's being merged with what started as the sequel on my other account.**_

 _ **This one has TRIGGERS in the first couple of chapters, including torture and rape. SO PROCEED WITH CAUTION!**_

* * *

I woke up to the sound of silence and it terrified me.

I'd never liked silence, but Neverland was filled with it. Pockets of silence, in between the sounds of the jungle we were staying in.

And the rescue party found exactly all of those pockets, no matter how hard I tried to get them to move just a little further. They never listened to me anyway.

"Why don't you come and trade yourself for your son? They won't miss you." I remember that voice, it still reminded me of Rumpelstiltskin. His voice taunted me, and I glanced around only to find complete darkness around me.

"Why don't you show yourself?" I softly called out. I wasn't sure if they would wake up, and it made me anxious. Would I want them to know I talked to Pan or would I want to start keeping secrets?

"I like it this way." He chuckled, and it seemed to carry through the pocket of silence. Emma moved beside me, and my heart stopped beating for a moment. "Trade yourself for him and they'll be safe."

I knew I had no choice even if the trade didn't make sense. Why would Pan go through all the trouble to get Henry when he would willingly trade him for me?

"Okay." I said instead. "Give me some time."

"You have an hour." I could hear him disappear, and shivered when the air warmed up a fraction. Emma moved again next to me, and I tensed as I waited for her to sink back into that deep sleep.

I slowly got up, keeping an eye on Emma as I did so to make sure she didn't wake up. It dawned on me that while Pan had been close, I couldn't have seen her.

None of them woke up, not even Hook – who kept saying he was a light sleeper – moved. I wondered why Pan had chosen me, when Henry clearly loved Emma more. He had made that clear when he had chosen her over me back in Storybrooke.

But I was still willing to give myself to Pan if that meant saving him. I'd give my life for him.

Something guided me through the jungle. I couldn't see, but I knew where to go. I couldn't hear, but I knew what to listen for. The leaves under my shoes crackled, and that was the only thing I heard as I closed in on Pan's lair.

"You look delicious."

I turned around, a fireball in my hand. Pan smirked at me as he closed the distance and snuffed out the fire with a wave of his hand.

"Where's Henry?" I asked, ignoring the fact that he came even closer. "You proposed a deal...I'm here to accept."

"Hmm." Pan moved around me, and I jerked when his fingers touched my back. "He's on his way."

I spun on my feet and glared at Pan. His face didn't age, but his soul was ancient and I knew I didn't stand a chance even with Emma and the Charmings beside me.

"What is it you're after?" I asked, trying to ignore his fingers moving up and down my back. He was trying to unnerve me and I wasn't about to show him that he was succeeding.

"A tortured soul." His voice was high with excitement and I shuddered. "Henry came close...in the end. But you…" he hummed as if he'd just tasted the best thing ever. "You are already there, aren't you?"

"I'm not broken," I grunted out as I stepped forward and away from his roaming fingers.

He chuckled, his excitement showing through everything. "No. You're not broken, because I will get that honor."

Before I got the chance to reply, Henry barreled through the clearing. His body slammed into mine and he wrapped his arms around my waist. "Mom!"

I lifted my hands to his head and pressed him closer, his cheek pressed against my chest. "Are you okay?" I asked as I pressed my cheek against the top of his head.

"Yea, I'm fine," Henry replied. He pulled back, enough to stare up at me. "Why are you here?"

I shook my head, not even sure what to tell him. "You have to go find Emma and the others – tell them you need to go." I tried to push him away, but he tightened his grip around my waist. "Henry, go!"

"No," he said vehemently. "I'm not leaving you!"

"You have to," I replied through gritted teeth. I reached behind me and grabbed his hands. "Henry, please."

"You have one minute." Pan said with a grin and I glared up at him. What I wanted was to blast him with a fireball, and run with Henry. "Deal, or no deal?"

I pulled Henry's arms away from me and he shook his head, his eyes wide. "No, Mom!"

"Go, tell Emma to leave the island. I'll be fine." I gave him a push, and a hand grabbed him. I waved my hand, pushing the hand away. "Don't touch him."

"Please, Mom," he whispered and my heart broke as I looked away. He stood for a moment, and I could feel him watch me but then he exhaled and he turned. "We will get you back." He called as he ran away and I swallowed thickly around the sudden lump in my throat.

"Are you ready?" Pan appeared in front of me again and his eyes glinted in the moonlight. Excitement bounced from him and I clenched my jaw.

I would give my life for Henry, and Pan knew that.

"As ready as I'll ever be."


	2. Chapter 2

_**TRIGGER WARNING FOR RAPE AND TORTURE.**_

* * *

I woke up to a pounding in my head.

There was more silence around me and I opened my eyes, only to quickly close them again when the pounding got worse. My stomach roiled and I swallowed a couple of times against the bile that rose in my throat.

I took a breath and tried again, this time biting through the pain and nausea. My vision blurred before it focused and I moved my head to glance around.

Pan's lair. No one had ever come out alive, and I knew this when I signed up for it. He had all the power over me he could want.

I shivered, not only from that realization, but also because I was cold. I moved, but my hands and feet were bound by strong, magical ropes. It tightened around me as I tried to pull my hand free.

I was naked. That was the reason I was cold. While under normal circumstances I never minded who saw me naked, this felt heavier. I hadn't chosen to be naked.

"Oh, thank god you're awake." I jerked at the sound of his voice, and whatever I was bound to scraped against my naked back. I gritted my teeth against the discomfort.

"Hmm." I didn't want him to see my pain, or my fear. My heart slammed against my ribs painfully as he moved into view. His face was filled with excitement and the smile made me shudder.

"I hope you don't mind," he said as he slowly moved his fingers on my calf. "I took the liberty to undress you."

"I gave myself…" my voice faded when his hand moved to my thigh and my throat tightened. I closed my eyes, inhaled deeply and tried again. "I gave myself in Henry's place."

"Yes." He grinned as he leaned over me. His breath was on my face and I opened my eyes to see that he had gotten much closer. "You did." He moved his hand again, toward my stomach. The muscles there quivered. "I must say, you are extremely flexible."

For a moment my mind blanked. The smug smile on his face didn't tell me anything and I closed my eyes again, trying to index any injuries. "What did you do to me?"

His hand touched the underside of my breast and I gritted my teeth. "Nothing of consequence. Yet." He chuckled and moved his hand further up. "You did give me your body and soul."

I knew it was useless, but struggled against the ropes anyway. They tightened even more and I grunted as they cut into my skin. "You keep your word and stay away from Henry."

His hand was around my throat suddenly, and I gasped as he tightened his hand. His eyes sparkled with anger and I wished I could take back my words. "I'm a man of my word," he grunted out before he pushed, and then let go of me.

I coughed, my throat burning. "You're a liar." I cleared my throat and clenched my jaw. "Stay away from Henry."

He moved around, his footsteps echoing through the cave. I slowly breathed through my nose, when he abruptly turned and chuckled. "Okay, I'm a man of my word when it suits me." He moves closer again and my heart sped up at the smug look on his face. "Right now though, I have the _Evil Queen_ in my hands. Why would I back out now?"

"Indeed." I said softly. "Why would you?"

I was terrified that he would go back on his promise. He had me where he wanted me, could do whatever he wanted to me. If he wanted he could have Henry back with a snap of his fingers.

Something told me he was content for now. He was content to have me at his mercy and he would keep his word. For now.

"I have some...big plans for you." Pan said and I turned my gaze back to him. His hands were on his back and I blinked. I knew that move – hiding. "It's going to be interesting to see what it takes to get you to your breaking point. I hope it takes a while." He smiled dreamily and I swallowed thickly as I turned away.

"I am as breakable as anyone else." I said around the lump in my throat and he chuckled. "We made a deal and I intend to keep my word."

"I certainly hope so." He moved closer, taking his hands from his back. The knife he held was beautiful, I thought as my eyes focused on it. Even in the dark it seemed to shimmer and I could feel the blood leave my face as his intent seemed to clear up. "Oh," he chuckled and suddenly, he was standing over me again. "You don't really have a choice do you? You're tied up! And even if you weren't, there's no way you're going to get out of here unless _I_ say so."

I inhaled sharply as the blade of his knife gently pushed against my cheek. My mouth ran dry and I swallowed thickly. He moved the knife over my skin but didn't break it.

"I am a woman of my word. I have no intention of fighting you." I pushed out as tears filled my eyes. I blinked then away quickly but he saw them anyway.

"No amount of fighting, or screaming, will help you here." He gestured with his free hand. "You're in my lair now, and there isn't anyone here that will help you."

I grimaced as he made clear my predicament even though I knew it. As long as Henry was safe I could handle anything. A tear slid down my cheek as he pushed the blade against my skin a little harder.

"Get on with it then." I gritted out.

He hummed, and then the blade broke the skin on my cheek and he pulled it away. "Hmm...royal blood." He licked my cheek, and I jerked. "Tastes the same as mine." He said with a shrug. A movement had him tense up and I blinked when suddenly, he moved away. "This is going to have to wait...someone is here."

His footsteps echoed through the cave and I shivered as relief swept over me. A tear slipped down my cheek and another soon followed, burning as it ran over the cut in my cheek.

Waiting was a form of torture too. It was one I'd used a lot in my time as _Evil Queen_ and he knew just as well as I did. Waiting for torture, was the worst torture.

I prayed, that I would be able to survive what he was planning to do to me. I wanted to live – I wanted to be able to see Henry grow up.

I'd never really thought about what would happen to Storybrooke if I didn't survive, but then again it didn't matter much if I would be there to be blamed.

My body shook and shivered as cold seeped into my bones and I gritted my teeth when the ropes tightened even more, drawing blood.

Pan took his time to return, but I could hear his feet shuffling over the stone. When he came into view, he looked absolutely livid. He grunted something as he moved closer, and he turned his glare toward me.

I wondered for a moment if Emma and the others had gotten to Henry – or the other way around – and had decided that they would rescue me anyway. My heart skipped a beat at that thought.

"You have more than enough people out there that want to hurt you," he said as he calculatively touched my body. He squeezed my thigh, then moved up and pushed his fingers into my stomach. "But the only people that want to save you...they are outside. And they brought an archer with them." Pan chuckled.

"Snow?" I asked softly, as his hand moved up and squeezed my breast. He hummed and pressed his arousal against my arm.

"Of course not." He sounded annoyed and I pressed my lips together. "I'm sure you've heard of him...Robin Hood."

"Yes." I gritted out. I'd had a conversation about him earlier with the fairy. Tinkerbell.

"Wasn't he your _True Love_?" He asked. I kept my gaze up to the roof of the cave and he hummed as he pressed into me again, making my skin crawl. "Well, it doesn't matter. He's gone now." I closed my eyes, not really sure how to take his words. I swallowed as his hand moved to my other breast. "A pity really, maybe he could've had his way with you."

For a long moment he kept touching me, not saying a word. Even though I hadn't used this particular kind of torture, I knew it drove me crazy that he was touching me in a way that he shouldn't. I could feel him push his hips into my arm with jerking movements and I couldn't move away from him.

"Oh, well." He grinned at me and I shivered, then grunted as his hand connected with my stomach. "What's done is done."

I swallowed. "Thank god."

He huffed and then laughed before he pulled the knife out of his boot. "Let's get started shall we? We have about a week before I let you go."

I opened my eyes and turned to him, my heart slamming into my ribs. "Let me go?"

"Oh, sure." He licked his lips as he glanced down her body. "I told you...your friends need to leave the island and they have a week...if they aren't off the island by then I'll either kill you or let you go."

I blinked against the tears as he chuckled. "Get on with it." I gritted out when I realized what he was doing. I shouldn't get my hopes up.

"I hope you'll give me a show." He said as he slowly put the blade on my stomach, putting just enough pressure to make it uncomfortable. "Because I want to enjoy this week with you…"

Suddenly, the knife pressed into my stomach and the surprise made me jerk and scream. Pan grinned as he pressed the point of the blade into my skin. He loved seeing weakness and I was showing him mine. I felt like I was overreacting but I couldn't stop as the tears slid down my cheeks.

He dragged the knife, drawing blood as he went and I gasped as he moved up toward my chest. He removed the tip from my skin and then move to the other side, making a similar cut on the other side of my stomach.

He didn't cut deep, just enough for me to want to move away from the blade. It was slow and deliberate and he grinned as he looked down at me.

"Is this the best you can do?" I asked through the pain. I'd recently spent time with a psychopath who had tried to kill me back in Storybrooke – that had hurt a lot more than a knife pressed into my skin.

He pulled back in surprise. "This is only the beginning."

He moved away then and moved out of my sight. My breathing hitched as the cold air moved around me, the blood slowly dripping down my sides. It was hot against my cold skin.

He returned with a cup, and the grin on his face told me he had something that was going to hurt even more than the cutting. It told me that he enjoyed every single second of this. He licked his finger and dipped it in the cup, and when he put that finger on one of my cuts, it burnt like he just set fire to my skin.

"No–" I called out but then he narrowed his eyes and pushed something into my mouth. I gagged on the cloth and as I tried to get him to stop, he simple grinned.

"I know it hurts...but I would like you to have some souvenirs of our time together." He pressed his finger into the salt again, and then against my skin. I clenched my jaw and gagged around the cloth in my mouth. "It makes me happy, to have people think about me." I grunted and he smirked. "What did you say?"

He took the gag out of my mouth and I narrows my eyes. "Let me go and I'll give _you_ a souvenir of our time together."

He laughed loud enough to startle me and my body jerked when he slowly tipped the cup and poured salt into my cuts. I moaned against the pain. "I love your spunk." He three the cup over his shoulder now that it was empty. "You know what?"

"What?" I snapped through the burning pain that moved over my cold body. I wasn't sure what was going to get me first – hypothermia or Pan.

"I think I'm going to let you take a moment to rest. Maybe I'll send someone to tend to your wounds later." He put just enough pressure on one of the cuts to elicit a moan from me even though I fought to keep it in.

And then he was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

My vision swam when I woke up and bile rose in my throat. It took me a moment to figure out what had changed, because my mind was lagging behind.

The light in the cave was different, and I glanced around even though my eyes burnt, and my head pounded.

A movement caught my eye and I squinted to see better.

"Regina, wake up." Emma's voice reached my ears and my body jerked. "Regina, come on, we have to get you out of here."

"No." I rasped out as the blonde Sheriff came into view. It took me a moment to focus on her. "I...you need to keep Henry safe."

"Henry is safe, he's back in Storybrooke." Emma smiled and something in my head clicked and I realized this wasn't real. They couldn't have gotten back home already.

"That's not possible." I grunted out and balled my hands into fists. Anger was ready to take over and I welcomed the feeling, even if that meant reverting back to the woman I'd been, and didn't ever want to be again.

Emma stepped closer and her hand cupped my cheek. I swallowed, pushing back whatever feeling I had about being naked with her in the room. "I love you Regina."

Even though I was getting angrier with the second, my heart wanted it so badly that a sob escaped my lips. "Don't do this."

Emma chuckled and then she wasn't Emma anymore and Pan was chuckling at me. "So it's her." His eyes narrowed and for a moment they looked just like hers.

"It's not." I shook my head. "There's no one that holds my heart." It was true, technically.

He huffed and pushed his hand into my chest, finding my heart. I swallowed the scream and locked my eyes with his as he squeezed, robbing me of my breath.

"Didn't your mother teach you?" Pan asked with a smug smile, and coughed when he pulled. Then it was my turn to smile, because he pulled, and pulled and couldn't get it out.

"Of course she did," I gasped as he pulled again. "It's protected, you won't get it out no matter how hard you pull."

He squeezed again and I closed my eyes. A tear slipped out, the pain in my chest overwhelming. He pulled his hand back then and hummed as he turned on his heels.

"That...can be very useful." He smirked and my heart skipped a beat. "Earlier...I realized that even though this body is still very young...it reacted very well to what I wanted." He cupped himself through his leather pants and involuntary my eyes followed the movement.

"You can't be serious." I looked back up at his face as he lifted a brow. I shuddered at the thought but I did give him free rein. "No." I shook my head as my chest tightened. "You don't have to go that far."

"Are you going to back out?" He asked with a pout and I pursed my lips as I shook my head. A tear slipped down my face as my mind brought me back to my marriage to the king.

"No." I replied as I closed my eyes.

"Then open your eyes." He grunted out and I shook my head again but opened my eyes anyway, knowing he could get to Henry. "Good girl." He stepped back. "Watch me...never let me out of your sight."

He slowly took off his shirt, and I did everything in my power not to look away. He was young but his body was filled with scars. They crossed his chest and arms and I gritted my teeth as I tried to keep in mind that he _wasn't_ young.

"Are...are they off the island yet?" I asked as everything started to hurt from the tension in my body. I wanted to fight, to tell him not to do it, but I wouldn't want to break out deal.

"No," he replied quickly. "Robin Hood is still trying to find a way in." He threw his shirt away and started pushing down his pants. "Too bad I can't use him to enjoy you."

Robin had never really done anything for me. I still thought the pixie dust was wrong as my heart would never belong to him, as his heart would never belong to me.

I focused on Pan even though I didn't really see him. I'd been trained, to look at someone and not see them. I'd trained my mind to zone out in a way when the king came to my room and though it had been a while, I still knew how to do so.

"You wouldn't be able to make him hurt me," I said after a while, my voice flat as I watched his silhouette move. It made me realize that the light had changed again.

"I know." Pan chuckled as he kicked away his pants and then he moved toward me. "But I have a really strong feeling I will enjoy this more than anything I plan to do to you."

I swallowed hard as he moved over my body and he chuckled when I shivered. No words were necessary as he rubbed a hand up my thigh and then he was between my legs, his fingers prodding me.

I grunted out, my frustration at my inability to move making me short of breath and I gasped as he pushed three fingers into me. "No!" He pulled them out of me in surprise.

And then he slapped me. "Fucking hell, Regina." I closed my eyes against his anger and he slapped me again. "Open your fucking eyes and watch me as I fuck you!"

He wrapped a hand around my throat and put pressure on it, just enough to make me gasp again. My vision blurred when I opened my eyes and I looked up at him as he positioned himself on top of me.

He held his hand on my throat as he used his other hand to position himself in front of my entrance and then he grinned down at me, while the pressure on my throat made the edges of my vision blur.

My eyes widened when he pushed into me and when he took his hand off my throat, I screamed soundlessly.

* * *

My body throbbed with the pain of having been used thoroughly. My legs shook with the tension and the effort it took to keep myself even a little but protected.

He had come back, multiple times in the past couple of hours, and while at the beginning, I hadn't been able to zone out, after the second time it had been easy.

I had felt him move on top of me and had even been able to keep my eyes on his face, but I hadn't seen him, hadn't been there with my mind. It's what I had trained myself to do with the king.

"I think your thigh is a nice...spot. Considering," Pain broke through my thoughts and I blinked at him. The knife was back and I looked back up at the roof of the cave. "Look. At. Me." He grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him.

He was still naked, his arousal still evident as he moved back and leaned over my thigh. I swallowed thickly as his movement and attention brought mine back to the stickiness between my legs and it made me gag.

"Go on." I rasped out, my throat painful.

He huffed as he before he licked my thigh and I jerked, my legs shaking with the tension. "I think I like the salt. I can always try something else the next time we do this."

He pushed the tip of the knife into my thigh and dragged a line, and my throat tightened around the scream. The look on his face told me he enjoyed my scream. When he made a similar cut on my other thigh, I moaned as my head spun, even lying down.

He looked at me then, his eyes black with arousal as he leaned over me. "There will be no next time." I pushed back as darkness edged over my vision, I didn't want to miss what he was planning next. Somehow, a moment had passed without me realizing though, because he was smirking down at me and I realized I'd missed something he'd said. "What?"

"I said...you looked thoroughly fucked and it is very much to my liking to see what that looks like on you." He laughed and I shuddered. His laugh would haunt me for the rest of my life and a tear slipped down my cheek even when I tried to stop it.

He poured the salt in the cuts before I had a chance to brace myself, and the scream that bubbled up in my throat came out as a pathetic moan. It took me longer to push down the pain, and I gritted my teeth as I scolded myself for being so weak.

I could feel the blood dripping down my legs, along with the stickiness of _him_ and I gagged.

"I think that's enough for now," he said as he ran a finger up my side. "I think I will be back sooner than you think."

"Hmm." My throat hurt even giving him that response and I closed my eyes. I was exhausted and my body was slowly shutting down.

"I'll send someone to help you clean. We don't want you to die because I salted your cuts instead of treating them." He moved away then, and I breathed a sigh in relief when he left me alone.

I didn't know how long I had been alone, I just knew it wasn't too long because I hadn't been able to shut down even though I tried really hard. It was a survival instinct to forget everything that was happening, to push it to the back of my mind.

Footsteps brought me out of my thoughts, and I tensed as a hand touched my shoulder. "My name is Jenna."

I opened my eyes and looked up into the face of a ten year old girl, and I breathed heavily as my stomach heaved. "How old are you?" I asked even though I knew she wasn't going to give me an honest answer.

"I don't think that's important," the girl named Jenna replied and I shook my head. It wasn't important. "I'm going to untie you. You can't run, okay?"

"Okay." I waited until she'd taken off the ropes patiently, but rubbed my raw wrists the moment I could. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet." Jenna took off the ropes around her ankles. "I need to give you a bath. And Pan ordered something a little less luxurious."

Just as she said it, I saw three boys carrying buckets of water. From what I could glean from what Jenna said, it wouldn't be warm water.

"As long as I'm clean." I let her help me off of the stone table Pan had put me on and I moaned when my knees buckled.

"You're not weak." Jenna murmured as she pushed her shoulder under my arm and carried me to the buckets of water. She slowly and gently sat me down on the ground, and kneeled down in front of me. "I'm going to take care of your cuts first."

The girl worked on the cuts on my body as best as she could with the ice cold water and the cloths she had gotten from Pan. They were clean, at least and that was all I could ask for.

"Thank you." I said when she had cleaned the cuts as best as she could.

"Don't thank me yet." Jenna replied. "This water...you'll have to clean yourself with it. One bucket I have to keep behind, and dump it over you when you're done."

I shrugged and held out my hand. "If you give me something to wash myself with." She handed me a piece of cloth and I dipped it in the water. I slowly washed myself, my face and my arms, my stomach around the cuts and my legs and feet. I tried to clean the cloth, but the water was dirty. So I had to make do with the dirty water as I washed away the stickiness between my legs.

Jenna used the other cloths to wrap my cuts. When she was done, I had a wrap around my ribs and stomach where he had first cut me, and one around each thigh. "Thank you."

She glanced around and leaned closer to me. "They are still looking for a way in. The blonde woman...Emma?" She asked and I nodded my head, my heart jumping at the mention of the Sheriff. "She's determined to get to you." I closed my eyes when my throat closed around the tears that I didn't want to spill. This girl was giving me hope even when I knew they wouldn't be able to get me out of here unless Pan wanted it to happen. "Regina," Jenna murmured. "They _will_ get you out."


	4. Chapter 4

Whatever had been in the water had knocked me out cold. It had taken me a while to realize that they had cleaned my cuts with water, that was spiked with some sort of drug.

It took me longer to let it take over my system, as I fought it every step of the way. But Jenna stayed with me until I passed out, and that alone made me want to trust her.

I came to in complete darkness and my body cramped up as I shuddered in the cold. I lay on my side, my head on my hands and my knees pulled up to my chest.

The cuts on my stomach and thighs burnt and I realized that my hair was still damp. My mind was a mess, but at least I was alone. I opened my eyes again, and tried to stretch my legs. I bumped into something hard and cold with my feet.

I moved, pushing myself up in a sitting position and bumped my head against the top of whatever I was in or under. "Oh, snap. It's barely big enough for you." His voice, full of laughter, sounded close and I squinted my eyes in the dark to see if I could see him.

"What did you give me?" I asked him, my voice barely above a whisper. It hurt to talk, and I took a shaking breath.

"Oh, it was just something to help you sleep," he said softly. He opened a lock, and then a door and I jerked when his hand touched my knee. "Jenna said you were in a lot of pain."

"And still you put me in a cage just barely big enough to hold me," I replied as I kicked out. My foot connected with something and he grunted, then quickly shut the door to the cage again and locked it.

"Do that again, and you'll suffer for it." His voice was tight as he moved away and I chuckled.

"Isn't that what I'm already doing? Suffering?"

He laughed, deep and low and it brought shivers to my spine. "You are, but if you're not careful it's going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better." A flicker of light caught my eye and I turned toward it. "I have some food for you," Pan said after a moment. "We don't want you to starve before I'm done with you."

"You don't, but the longer I'm trapped here, the more I'd like to kill you and get it over with." I grunted as he came back. He carried a lump of bread and a cup of water.

"Oh, really? You want to kill me?" He chuckled as he pushed the bread through the bars. "And how are you going to do that?" He sounded genuinely interested and I wanted to kick him again for sounding so carefree.

"I'll figure out a way. Don't you worry." I picked up the piece of bread and tore off a piece. As I popped it in my mouth, I prayed to god that it wasn't filled with anything magical. "Why did you send Jenna?"

"She's the only girl here willing to help you," Pan said with a shrug. "And besides...I'm not that bad of a guy not to want you to be clean after sex." He moved again and the light flickered in his hand.

"Hmm." Was all I could give him. He still held the cup of water in his hand and even though I didn't want to risk being drugged again, I knew I had to drink something.

"If you finish your bread…and promise not to kick me again, you will get the water. Hey, I might even feel nice enough to help you walk around."

I slowly ate the bread. It was making my throat dry and I swallowed thickly. "You have a timeline?" I wanted to get him to talk, I needed to know what he was planning.

"With you?" He asked. He glanced at me as he moved the flame in his hand. I inclined my head as I swallowed the last piece of bread. "There are some techniques I want to try out. The fact that you are still talking to me tells me you still have the strength to go through a lot."

"I've been tortured before." I replied. He stood and opened the door. I slowly moved forward, my body protesting against the movement but I pushed through.

"I see." He held out his hand and I took it, only because if I didn't I'd have to crawl around. He pulled me up and against him. "Let's see how long it takes to break you."

"I might not break before your week is over," I responded as he handed me the water. I took small sips, enjoying the feel of the cool water in the back of my throat.

"You will."

* * *

Water filled my mouth and I gasped as I opened my eyes. The water kept pouring over my face and I gagged, coughed and gagged again. I just couldn't see it coming, didn't know when it was going to stop.

When it stopped, I gasped for breath. The silence settled over me and all I could hear was my own labored breathing.

"It's an interesting way to wake up, isn't it?" His voice was close and I jerked. "Lungs burning, chest constricting. You can't breathe because if you do, your lungs fill with water."

"Hmm." I coughed again and I could feel the cuts on my stomach pulling, the blood slowly seeping out. "I know torture." I told him again.

"It all comes down to…how far I'm willing to go." He didn't give me a chance to reply, and started pouring the water over my face again. "There will be more." He stopped pouring. "But for now," he said as he moved me – or did he move the table? – into a standing position.

The only thing was, my feet didn't touch the ground and my weight rested on my arms, my shoulders. "For now?"

"For now you get to rest." He added. "You will have about an hour...I won't drug you anymore."

"And why is that?" I breathed and Pan chuckled as he moved closer.

"Because if I keep you drugged…that means I get less time with you. And I want to use my time in the best possible way."

* * *

My shoulders burnt with tension. The table was turned in a way that I couldn't touch the ground, my shoulders and arms carrying all my weight. No matter what I did or how I moved, I couldn't take the strain off of my arms.

"You were in love once," Pan said from behind me. "You wanted to have his babies...didn't you?"

My heart skipped a beat. I closed my eyes, images of Daniel in my mind. He'd been a simple stable boy, but he had been the love of my life. "Where are you going with this?"

He moved around and faced me. In his hand he had his knife again and I clenched my jaw. "I told you, I want to break you. That means finding out where your heart belongs and then crush it." He chuckled. "Even if I can't actually take your heart."

"Everyone knows the story of how I became the Evil Queen. Even you must've heard it." I shivered as cold air moved over my naked body. The bindings on my cuts were damp from the water. "Why do you want me to tell you?"

"Because that's part of the deal. Body and soul, Regina."

I closed my eyes. Daniel smiled at me from my memories and I couldn't help but smile back. "He was what I thought to be the love of my life." I began. My voice broke, and I knew talking wouldn't be the best thing. "We were going to run away together, get married."

"And…"

"And my mother tore out his heart and crushed it before my eyes," I responded and sighed. "It drove me to casting the curse...even had me trying to frame Snow for murder."

"She told your mother about the stable boy." Pan moved closer. "Why doesn't it look like you're in pain now?"

I sighed and shook my head. "I don't know. It's been a while."

"What about Robin Hood?"

"Tinkerbell brought me to him with pixie dust, and I didn't go into the tavern like I said I would. According to Tinkerbell I didn't only ruin my own chances, but his too." I frowned then, and puffed out a breath. "It still won't break my heart talking about all these...so called loves."

"And what...about Sheriff Swan? She's the mother of your child."

I jerked. "What about her?"

"She's...an interesting woman, isn't she? The way she is around Henry is cute. And how she treats you…" he whistled. "Isn't she the first...and the only one to treat you like an actual person?"

I gritted my teeth and blinked against the tears. He was right, Emma was the first to treat me like an actual person. At least after the curse was broken.

"Yes. She saw me as me, and not as the Evil Queen and I'm still very grateful for that," I replied. I didn't want to feel this much. I wanted to block all feelings because that would ensure my survival.

"Are you able to love?"

"I…" the question caught me of guard and I didn't know what to say. Was I capable of love? Could I let someone into my heart, in a way that made me vulnerable? "I love Henry."

"That's different and you know it."

"What do you want me to say, Pan?" I snapped. "I've loved before and if I want, I can love again. I chose not to, because it is weakness." I heard my mother push the words into my brain and I grunted out as I pushed back.

He chuckled, and without warning slammed his fist into my stomach. I felt the air leave my lungs and my body wanted to collapse, only to be stopped by the restraints. My arms twisted painfully and again, without warning he waved his hand and the restraints were gone. I dropped to the ground with a thud.

"Get back in your cage, you filthy animal."

—

I pushed against the sleep, for hours I stared out into the darkness. Pan didn't come back, and my mind went fuzzy as the time went on. I didn't know how long I hadn't slept, at least without drugs in my system to knock me out.

For a moment I wanted those drugs. They had helped me sleep and if I could just sleep for a couple of hours, I'd be able to survive another day.

My eyelids drooped and I swallowed thickly as I fought the sleep. For a moment it seemed like I was winning, and when I closed my eyes to blink I hummed in frustration when I couldn't get them to open again.

If I fell asleep, would he come and wake me again?


	5. Chapter 5

Pan had a routine which, if it was any other situation, I'd have loved. It told me if another day had moved past.

He would come in the mornings, and bring me a cup of water and a lump of bread. He would then settle into his routine of torture.

First, he'd tie me to the table for hours on end, only taking me off when I felt like my arms were going to rip off of my body. How that was even possible, I didn't know, because I was slowly losing weight. I couldn't be that heavy. But then again, maybe because my muscles lost their strength.

Some days he'd hit me, opening the healing cuts on my stomach. He'd send Jenna to me to take care of the cuts, and then he'd turn the table – literally – and have me on my back.

He'd use my body. That's what he called it. A thorough fucking. I called it rape. He would come inside me, but also over the cuts on my thighs. Sometimes he'd like to add more cuts before he came all over my legs. He would clean me up afterwards, before he would move on to the next torture technique.

There was always a candle close by. I'd learned to look for it, the only bright spot in the cave at most, especially when the days seemed just as dark as the nights. He would hold the candle above me, my stomach or my arms or my legs, and he'd let the boiling hot wax drip onto my body. It's how I lost my voice after the second day. It was always without warning.

Sometimes I'd pass out, and he liked to wake me by pouring water over my face, choking me effectively until he was ready to stop. And then he'd do it all over again, and there was nothing I could do to move away.

At night, he would give me something to drink. He'd give me a lump of bread, and he'd push me into the cage. I would fall asleep the moment that I was sure that he was gone, dreaming of a life that was better than this.

* * *

A movement caught my eye and this time, it wasn't Pan. It was someone else, someone who didn't want to show themselves. It made me anxious. I didn't know how many days had passed, and I didn't know what Pan was waiting for.

A shadow moved around the cave and I narrowed me eyes trying to see who it was. I didn't dare call out, because maybe Pan had someone spying on me during the times that he wasn't there. I'd never noticed because it was always dark, and shadows didn't move in the dark.

I closed my eyes, thinking it was too early to be up if Pan wasn't there yet. Shadows moving across the cave shouldn't even catch my attention. Somewhere close by, something moved. I tensed as I pretended to be asleep.

"Make sure Robin Hood stays away, the bastard can't come in here and find her." Pan's voice drifted into the cave and I opened my eyes as I tried to see what was going on. The shadow was gone. Pan made his presence known by kicking the bars of the cage, and then he kneeled in front of me. "Your friends chose to stick around."

"Leave them," I rasped out. "You have me." My voice broke, and I swallowed dryly. My eyes drooped as I watched him and while I wished I was stronger, I knew he had either already broken me, or he'd put me right on the edge.

"That I do." He hummed as he stood to his feet, and handed me the lump of bread and the cup of water through the bars. "Today, I have other issues to deal with. You are in luck, because that means you get the day off."

I almost choked on the bread in my mouth and I coughed before I could swallow it. "Hmm." Was all I gave him as I took a sip of the water. He seemed disappointed, but then shook it off and grinned.

"Tomorrow...we will add a new part to the routine." He opened the cage and waved as he did so. I narrowed my eyes at him. "You can come out, at your own risk because the older of my boys are dying to have a taste of you."

I closed my eyes against the terror that washed over me. He was gone before I could form a reply, I could hear him walk away laughing and I scooted back, sitting at the back of the cage.

My head was pounding, and my stomach cramped up at the thought of moving out of the cage. He knew exactly what would break me and how close I already was to letting it happen. If it hadn't already happened.

I waited, my body tightly rolled into a ball. I heard sounds around me. I didn't know what they were but I knew it didn't bode well for me.

I didn't know how much time had passed, but all of a sudden the sounds got closer and I pushed my back against the back of the cage as a hand reached in.

"Come on, Regina." A voice, sounding much like Emma's, reached my ears and I squinted at the hand as it gestured for me to come.

"Go away." I rasped and the hand moved away. A tear rolled down my cheek and I bit my lip until I drew blood, my chest tightening. It was just a test, again.

"I get it." Movement sounded around me and I shivered in the cool air. I pulled the thin blanket Pan had given me, tightly around me. The fire from the candle startled me and I pushed back even more when the hand came back, and this time I could see the face. "You needed to see me."

Emma stared down at me and I bit my lip. "You're not real." I kicked out, weakly. The second time caused her – or Pan – to grunt when it connected.

"Is that really how you want to treat the person who wants to get you out?" Emma said as she frowned at me. "You can do it yourself if you want. We just have to hurry."

"Why?" I asked as I moved forward a little to look at her. She looked real enough and Pan had been frustrated with me because I hadn't given him what he wanted.

"Because Hood is trying to keep those boys back, but he can't do it indefinitely. Come on, I know you've been through a lot. I really wish I could give you more time to get used to me and what's going on, but you need to _move_." Emma stepped back and slowly, I moved forward. My body protested as I climbed through the opening, and then when I tried to stand up.

"I…" I didn't want to admit that I needed help, and I looked up at Emma. On my hands and knees, naked in front of her, and she gasped when she saw whatever she saw of me.

"You okay with me helping you?" Emma held out her hands and I swallowed against the lump as I sat back, my butt on my feet. "You must be cramped up...I'll help you as much as you want, as much as you need."

I held out my hands and then clasped them around hers. She inclined her head and I did too, answering her silent question. She pulled me up, and I stumbled into her, my head spinning.

She held me for a moment, my body shaking as I tried to tell myself that she was real, and it wasn't Pan holding me up. "Where is he?"

"Henry? He's with Hook." Emma whispered as she glanced around and pulled me even closer even though I didn't know it was possible. Nausea thickened my throat and I swallowed.

"Charmings?"

"They are out there distracting Pan." Emma moved slowly and I followed her, not that I had a choice. She looked down at me and grimaced. "He really isn't like the stories back home."

"How…" I coughed and gagged when bile rose in my throat. "Hood?"

It took her a moment to understand what I was asking, and she moved forward in silence, pulling me with her. I didn't know the plan, and it didn't seem like a good one, because they would never let us walk out of Pan's lair even if he was distracted.

"Apparently, he heard about an innocent in the caves. I don't know why he was here though," Emma said and I could hear the shrug in her voice. "He also knows how to get off the island, even without a bean."

I stumbled again, and Emma moaned as she moved quickly to catch me as I started to fall. Even though Pan had made me walk around every day, I was weak, and as my stomach roiled I was even weaker.

"Sick," I grunted out, and Emma hummed as she helped me move away from her. My stomach heaved and what little breakfast I'd had came out burning.

Emma held me up until I was done and then she exhaled in relief. "Come on. If you can't make it I'm going to carry you, but we have to go."

We got to the entrance of the lair and Emma did her best to stay alert to any movement. I could see it in her eyes as I looked up at her and my heart skipped a beat when I saw her determination.

"What do you think you're doing?"

The voice behind us made Emma jerk and I felt myself slip out of her grasp. She turned and dragged me with her before she lowered me down on the damp ground.

"I'm taking back what's mine," Emma replied with a grin and then pushed her hands out, knocking the boy back a couple of feet. He stumbled and knocked his head on a boulder, effectively knocking him out.

"Good job." I rasped as she helped me up. "Magic?"

"You taught me some," Emma said and clenched her jaw. "I practiced." She pulled me into her and wrapped her arm around my waist. "Let's get you to Henry."

"Wait." My head spun. I wondered for a moment if I'd black out if I moved again. "Dizzy."

Emma grunted. "I don't have time for your dizzy." She lifted me up, and I moaned as the movement made my head spin even more and then the darkness took over, finally giving me the reprieve that I'd been asking for.

* * *

I jerked awake and gritted my teeth against the pain everywhere in my body. I was lying down on something reasonably soft and I kept my eyes closed as I breathed through the pain.

"Hey," Emma's voice was soft and I turned my head toward her but didn't open my eyes. "We're on the _Jolly Roger_. Henry is on the deck waiting with Hook...David and Snow returned but Hood hasn't yet."

I inclined my head and moaned when it pounded at the movement. "Want to try healing?" I asked, wondering where I got the strength.

"I did some," Emma said with a small smile. "I healed the cut on your cheek. It's...it was hard."

"No magic is easy." I coughed as I lifted my hand. Emma narrowed her eyes at me but took it anyway and I wondered if she wanted to reject me. "Only if you want."

"If I can help you, I would do anything." Emma seemed surprised at her own answer and I smiled gently. "For Henry."

"Of course." I hummed as I took a deep breath. I wasn't sure talking as much as I was doing was smart – my throat felt like it was burning every time I spoke. "Think healing and hold your hand over…" I looked down. "The bruises."

Emma's hand glowed in mine, and she moved her other hand over my stomach. The heat coming off of her made me fuzzy, sleepy as she moved her hand over the bruises. Her eyes were focused and I couldn't help but stare at her.

She moved over the cuts on my stomach and I could feel the skin closing. They would still scar, magic only sped up the healing. She pushed even move of her magic into me and I felt my eyelids droop as her magic healed me, tired me out all at the same time.

She was tapping into my magic too, I realized as I thought about healing. I pushed whatever strength I had left and she gasped, her hands becoming even warmer and then a burst of her blue magic pushed into me.

Another burst, and it moved through my arms and my legs. My head spun as if I'd been drinking my apple cider and I blinked when another burst of her magic pushed into me. It warmed me up, and my throat wasn't so dry anymore.

"Emma." I croaked out. "Stop, it's enough." I stared at her, her determination to heal me clear on her face and as my head spun and darkness settled over me, I pulled my hand out of her grasp just as another burst of magic pushed into me.

And darkness took over.


	6. Chapter 6

"I was healing her," Emma's voice carried over from the other side of the room. I kept my eyes closed, my body heavy with sleep still. "She blacked out because...I think it was an overload of it."

"What happened?" Robin Hood asked and I felt my heart speed up. "You used magic?" His voice lowered and I shivered when I could practically feel his anger roll off of him.

"I didn't have much of a choice – she was really hurt and she needed to be okay." Emma huffed and I almost smiled. "Now get out. Tell Hook to do whatever he needs to, to get us out of here."

There was a moment of silence, and I clenched my jaw before I opened my eyes. I glanced at Emma, her eyes closed and her fingers rubbing at her temple. The bed moved, and Emma swayed and breathed a sigh of relief before she opened her eyes and moved toward me.

She jerked when she noticed that I was looking at her.

"Hi." I rasped. It didn't hurt to speak anymore, and I closed my eyes for a moment. "Thank you." When I opened my eyes she smiled at me.

"We're on our way home," she said as she sat down on the bed with me. "Henry is in the other cabin, exhausted but okay."

I inhaled sharply. "Good," I said on the exhale. I struggled for a moment to sit up, and Emma held out her hand to help me. I took it and let her pull me forward. "You know…he used you…"

I didn't have to say more. The horror I saw swirling in her eyes told me she knew. "That's why you told me to go away." She closed her eyes and I slowly moved to sit on the edge of the bed, my shoulder touching hers. Someone, probably Emma had dressed me in sweats and a shirt – probably also hers. She jerked away.

I swallowed thickly, telling myself that this wasn't a rejection. "It felt different. I knew he wasn't you because he was too open." I closed my eyes and when I opened them, I scooted toward her and touched her shoulder with mine again. "I didn't tell you this to make you pull away."

"Why?" She rasped, and when I looked up I could see tear tracks on her cheeks. "Why would he use me?"

"I think…" I rubbed at my eyes when they started to burn. "I think he wanted to try and use everyone at some point. You were just the first, and because he made a mistake he couldn't make me believe he was you."

"What else did he do to you?"

I shook my head as I moved to stand. My legs were shaky but strong enough to carry me. "It's not important."

Emma stayed seated as I slowly moved around. "Of course it is important. If it's something you don't...I get it if you don't want to talk about it."

I blinked against tears and inclined my head before I turned back toward her. "I don't want to talk about it." My throat felt tight around the words. "I know it's something I'm going to have to accept, just not right now."

"Okay." Emma stood to her feet and moved to the door. "If you need anything, I'll be with Henry. All you'd have to do is knock on the wall next to the bed," she pointed to the wall with a grin. "Henry was doing that earlier, when you were asleep."

I moved too fast, in my haste to stop Emma. She was turning around and I stumbled forward on shaky legs. If she hadn't been standing there I'd have fallen on my face. As it was, she caught me by wrapping her arms around my waist.

"I…" I held my hands on her shoulders as my heart skipped a beat. "I'm sorry."

"No problem," Emma murmured. "How is it that I healed you but you're still so…" Emma looked down, her eyes widening and I almost laughed.

I shrugged. "You can't put food into my stomach. And I still feel the cuts, my body is still adjusting," I told her gently. Her healing had been focused mostly on the cosmetic parts of it. The cuts were gone, but I could feel them throbbing. The bruises were gone, and the pain in my arms. "You did great for a first time healing."

"Why don't you let me get you some food then?" Emma asked as she tried to understand what I'd just said. I could see it on her face. "Or – you wanted something, didn't you?"

I pulled back, just enough to be able to look into her eyes. "I need to see Henry." I breathed and she smiled.

"Of course," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Come, let's see if he's awake. I'll make sure you get some food too."

She let go of me slowly, and I swayed on my feet but didn't fall, and I glanced at her with a proud smile as she opened the door. She grinned back, and then waited until I had passed her before she closed the door.

"How was he? Was he okay?" I asked as we slowly made our way to the door of Henry's room. I was lucky that it wasn't that far away, because my knees buckled under my weight and I was running out of breath faster than I thought was possible.

"He found us...and made Snow and David see that going would be selfish." Emma hummed when I frowned. "Yea, they wanted to go regardless because they had what they were here for."

"Henry?" I asked and Emma nodded. "What did he say?"

I tried my best to not think about the fact that they had wanted to leave me behind. I had deserved that, even if it hurt. I had been relentless in chasing them, in trying to hurt them.

"He said that you're his Mom, and no matter what happened you were going to be his Mom and you traded yourself for him because you loved him." Emma looked down at her hands and I leaned against the wall beside me. "But if they left, he'd never forgive them for letting you die because they were holding grudges."

I chuckled. "He does realize I'm the one with the grudges?"

Emma smirked. "I assume so, which makes it even better." She didn't give me a chance to reply, but pushed open the door and gestured for me to lead.

The room was dark and I tensed, my heart slamming into my chest as my eyes slowly adjusted to it. My hand found the door frame and I held on tightly as I tried to tell myself that I was safe, but the darkness pushed against me. "I can't."

Emma pulled me back and turned me toward her and my body, already weak, simply let her as my mind screamed. "The dark?" She asked and I nodded before I closed my eyes. As if that was any better.

She let go of me, and I was grateful that I was leaning against the wall as my legs were unsteady. I heard her move around in the room, and I swallowed thickly against the panic rushing through me.

"Regina." I hummed. "Regina, open your eyes."

When I opened my eyes she stood in front of me with a candle. She held it out for me to take and I blinked into the fire. "Did you use magic?" I asked stupidly.

"Yes the magic of matches," Emma replied with a smile and I licked my lips to stop a smile. "Come on, I'll open the curtains, you wake him up."

I followed Emma into the room with the candle in my hands. Henry was sleeping so peacefully, I wouldn't have thought he'd gone through hell and back in Neverland.

"I don't want to wake him." I whispered as I stared down at him, and I swayed as the ship swayed. I sat down on the edge of the bed and glanced up at Emma, who stood at the curtains. "Is that okay?"

Emma shrugged. "Sure. Do you want me to bring you some food here?" She asked. I inclined my head and she moved toward me. "I'll be right back."

I kept my focus on Henry. Just before he was taken he had shown me that he loved me by wanting me to live. Emma had helped me, and the trigger to destroy Storybrooke had been disabled. He had believed in me and I wanted to make sure that his trust in me would not be broken.

"Mom?" Henry moved, leaned up on his elbows as he looked at me and I blinked to focus. "You're okay?" He sounded unsure and I leaned forward, holding out my arms.

"Give me a hug?" I asked and he jumped up and pushed himself into my arms, almost knocking us over. He wrapped his arms around my neck and held me tight and my arms moved and wrapped around his waist. "I'm so proud of you." I blinked again and blinked to keep the tears at bay.

"They got you out," he murmured and I nodded my head and closed my eyes tightly. "I thought I'd lost you forever." He sobbed and that broke me. I felt tears streaming down my cheeks as he sobbed in my arms and I could feel his tears soaking into the shirt.

"I'm okay now," I rasped around my tears and he nodded his head against my shoulder, sobs still wrecking his body. "I'm safe now." I wasn't just telling him, but myself too. "I'm not going anywhere again."

I looked up, my throat hurting and my nose stuffy from crying and I pulled Henry even closer. "I love you Mom." His voice was soft but I heard him loud and clear.

"I love you too, my little Prince."

* * *

"What are we waiting for?" I asked Emma as she walked into the room, a tray in hand. She put it down before she turned toward us.

I had moved to sit against the wall and Henry had fallen asleep with his head on my lap, a peaceful expression on his face.

"We are waiting for nightfall. It's something that Hook and Hood talked about. I was with you, so I don't know any more than you do," Emma smiled and gestured to the tray. "What do you want first? There's tea and toast...and that's it."

I chuckled and shrugged. "I think that's all my stomach can handle now anyway." Her face fell and I averted my gaze. "Could you hand me the tea?"

"Sure." She handed me the cup first, and then a slice of toast. "Eat something too. I know it's not much but...well, like you said, it's probably all you can handle right now."

I sipped the tea. It was watery, the taste of it lost. But I still sipped without saying anything about it and that surprised even me. Had I gotten used to keeping my mouth shut when I didn't like something?

"How long until dark?" I asked as I handed back the cup. I nibbled on the toast, my stomach clenched and I swallowed a piece. "I don't think I can finish this."

"Take your time." Emma smiled as she sat down next to me. She glanced down at Henry. "He's growing up way to fast." She shook her head and leaned back against the wall, her eyes closed. "He's way to mature for his age."

"Not too long ago he found out the woman that adopted him was actually one of the fairy tale characters he knew from a book. I'm also one of the worst people in that book. Does it surprise you that he matured too fast?" I huffed. "He wanted to get away from me."

"Maybe we can figure this out when we get home?" Emma murmured as she turned and pushed her shoulder against the wall beside me. Her hand moved to my arm and though I jerked at the touch, she didn't let go. "I know that he's been a little shit and I've let him, because somehow I liked it. But things should change."

"You are his mother." I said as my throat tightened. "He wants to be around you and I don't want to force him to be with me. When we get home, he's probably going where you are going...even if that means you're leaving Storybrooke."

"If that's what you think...why don't I promise you I'll move into the mansion just so that Henry doesn't get the choice which mother he spends time with?" Emma asked and I turned, my eyes narrowed.

"Is that what you want?" I asked, my head trying to wrap around what Emma was suggesting. "You want to move into the mansion...with me?"

"And Henry." Emma sighed. "I know it's going to take a while for you to be comfortable around me with what he did to you." I shook my head but she held up her hand. "But I would like to spend time with Henry. If you say no, I'll back off." She looked small, and dejected and I gently covered her hand on my arm with my own hand.

"I have no trouble being around you, Emma," I said as I squeezed her hand. "And maybe having you around will make me feel safer. I just don't want you to feel forced."

The ship rocked to one side and I felt my stomach lurch.

"I'm guessing they decided the time was now." Emma breathed as she clenched her jaw and Henry shifted awake on my lap. "Hold on, Kid. We are on our way home."


End file.
